Cherry trees, and tourism, bloom in D.C.

The nation's capital, left nearly desolate after the 9/11 attacks, welcomes resurgence of visitors

April 07, 2004|By Kristina Herrndobler, Washington Bureau.

WASHINGTON — After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, D.C. cabdriver Assefa Feleka parked his taxi and went to work as a mechanic. He didn't want to quit driving, but he said he had no choice--there weren't enough tourists around.

"Everything almost came to a standstill," Feleka said. "We didn't have an income for four or five months, and some people needed assistance just to pay the bills."

But the city's famed cherry trees are in bloom this week, and Feleka is driving his cab again because of a resurgence of tourism in the capital. The visitors are a welcome sight in a city that depends on tourism to sustain 260,000 jobs but became almost desolate after the 2001 terrorist attacks and a series of sniper shootings in 2002.

Nearly 19 million visitors are expected to travel to Washington this year, said Victoria Isley, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Convention and Tourism Corp.

"Immediately following Sept. 11 we certainly saw a tremendous impact on the tourism industry," Isley said. "Now I've heard from our tourism partners that they are seeing an increase in visitors, and that is very important to everyone from a hotel chain that is national in scope to an individual business operator such as a tour guide."

According to Justin McNaull, a spokesman for AAA, Washington is not the only city that is expected to experience a welcomed surge of visitors in 2004.

"After more than two years of domestic tranquility, Americans are feeling good about getting out and traveling again within the United States," McNaull said. "Additionally, what you are going to find this spring and summer is a significant increase in international travelers to the U.S."

McNaull said the weakness of the dollar--and the strength of the Euro--is motivating many Europeans to visit the United States.

Many visitors

Washington is expected to have 1 million international visitors this year. Chris Bender, spokesman for the D.C. Office of Planning and Economic Development, said the city expects a record number of Japanese tourists to visit for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs through Sunday, and the May opening of the World War II Memorial. Bill Line, a spokesman for the National Park Service's Capital Region, said the service is recruiting Japanese-speaking volunteers to translate for the visitors.

Over the past two weeks, tourists have flocked in for the annual celebration of the blossoming of the capital's 3,000 cherry trees. This year's festival also commemorated the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and Japan, which officially opened diplomatic relations between the countries.

The blooming of the cherry trees marks the beginning of the travel season in Washington, and according to Diana Mayhew, executive director of the Cherry Blossom Festival, a million visitors are expected for this year's event.

Jack Speake of Dayton, Ohio, came to Washington on business only months after the Sept. 11 attacks, but he wasn't about to bring his family to the city so soon.

After seeing the increased security in the capital during later business trips, though, he felt it was safe enough for a family vacation. Although heightened security helped ease Speake's mind, it also has been a bit burdensome.

"You used to be able to go into the White House more easily and walk all the way around the perimeter of it and you really felt like you had open access," said Speake's wife, Sandy. "Now you don't have that, and it is a shame for [our children] that they can't have that access that I can remember."

The Speakes said the security has resulted in longer lines at museums and ugly fences in their photos, but it also has reduced their concerns.

Bender, the D.C. economic development official, said the attacks provoked a strong sense of patriotism in many Americans, prompting them to plan their vacation in the nation's capital.

Wanting to learn

"People now, because of what happened, are more interested in learning about and experiencing what our leaders keep talking about," he said. "And there is nowhere else you can go and see the Constitution or stand on Pennsylvania Avenue."

But for now, the prime segment of Pennsylvania Avenue is closed to visitors. Until next January, the block of street in front of the White House is behind construction fences and protection barricades. But it should be a beautiful and secure walkway in time for the January Inaugural Parade, said Patti Gallagher, executive director of the National Capital Planning Commission.

Not afraid to visit

Paulo Flenrique Caixeta, a student from Brazil, just completed a work exchange in Virginia and visited neighboring Washington with two Brazilian friends. Caixeta said he was not afraid to come to America.

"Brazilians are much more likely to not come here because they can't get a visa than because they are scared of terrorism," he said. "People are crazy about coming here, but they can't get a visa."

Caixeta, who had a bag of souvenirs in his hand, said he and his friends were going to take advantage of their trip and tour the East Coast before they head back to Brazil in a few weeks.

But they may run into some long lines, as 56.6 percent of Americans said they were planning to take a vacation within the next six months, according to a forecast by AAA.

And that is just what tour guides, restaurant and hotel owners, and cabdrivers such as Feleka, are eager to hear.